which is a hilarious back story why there was a sudden spike in oil prices in 2009. but it also makes me feel ere should be an investigation into what the heck is going on in california with $6 a gallon gas breaking out one month before the election. election tipping point. president obama elevates sesame street's big bird to a whole new level. sandusky speaks hours before being sentenced on 46 koucounts school abuse. and curious discovery. the ma are. s rover finds a bright object on the surface but what is it? >> good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and much more straight ahead on "first look."

well from sesame street to main street, last week's debate has catapulted big bird to the forefront of the presidential campaign. mitt romney said he would cut funding to the public broadcasting service in order to help reduce the country's deficit. now the obama camp released a new tongue and cheek ad casting the star as a criminal mastermind. will it be infective? take a look and decide for yourself. >> i'm barack obama and i approve this message. >> bernie madoff, ken lay, gluttons of greed. and the man who towered over him. one man who has the guts to speak his name. >> big bird. >> big bird. >> big, yellow, a menace to our economy. mitt romney knows it's not wall street you have to worry about,

it's sesame street. >> i'm going to stopt subsidy to pbs. >> mitt romney taking on enemies no matter where they nest. >> with the presidential election four weeks away, there is new polling out. it shows the race between president obama and mitt romney closer than ever. tracie potts has more on that from washington. good morning. >> lynn, good morning. mitt romney is going to iowa today to a family farm before heading off to ohio where we'll hear his repeat his new campaign line. mitt romney has a new campaign line today. >> hope is not a strategy. >> reporter: we first heard it in the foreign policy speech monday. he argues, president obama's policies have made the world more dangerous. >> it's a risk of conflict in the region is higher now than when the president took office. >> romney promised to create one point person to deal with the middle east, arm syria's rebels, sanction iran if needed, expand the navy and push free trade. democrats aren't impressed.

>> i'm a professor. he gave absolutely no specifics. >> polls are now split on romney's popularity. pugh has him up four points among likely voters. the positive jobs report gave president obama a five point boost. according to hispanic voters in california, president obama moves to ohio today claiming romney's debate performance was more style than substance. >> what was being presented wasn't leadership. that's salesmanship. governor romney's plan is to let wall street run wild again but he's going to bring the hammer down on sesame street. >> the president has no new ideas. >> both vice-presidential candidates are practicing for thursday's debate. paul ryan is in florida after studying after four days in a woodsy virginia camp. vice president biden is at home in delaware focusing on ryan's speeches and his budget. national hospital is

reporting yet another death from the meningitis outbreak. if confirmed, it would be the fifth deadly case in tennessee. that is the ninth nationally. at least 105 people in nine states from minnesota to florida have been affected. the cdc now believes 13,000 people in 23 states may have received the steroid injection that's are tied to the outbreak. and while many are believed not to be at risk, those who got the shot between late june and september are being urged to get checked. erry sandusky ry first time, aheaof the sentencing this morning on 45 counts of child sexual assault. the former penn state assistant football coach was convicted in june of molesting ten boys over 15 years. prosecutors say about half a dozen of his victims will take the witness stand and sandusky himself is expected to testify at the hearing to defiantly say he is innocent. he gave a preview of what he might say in an audio statement he recorded from prison.

>> i am responding to the worst loss of my life. first, i have looked at myself. over and over i asked why? why didn't we have a fair opportunity to prepare for trial? why have so many people suffered as a result of false allegations? what's the purpose? maybe it help others, some vulnerable children who could be abused, might not be as a result of all the publicity. >> the 68-year-old is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison. and here's your "first look" at the other news going on around america. we're going to begin in texas. a dog snatching heist has cost thousands of dollars. they swiped $3,500 and $4,000 apiece. crews in iowa have a huge mess to clean up. 21 empty freight cars tumbled off the tracks when a train derailed. officials are still investigating what caused that

derailment. no injuries were reported. coyotes are making mean streets home of chicago home sweet home. video of the wild animal was recently captured in one of the windy city's urban areas. officials are aware the increase in sightings and they plan to keep a close eye on the situation. finally, a little bit of hollywood history is going up on the auction block. the famed dress worn by judy garland in "the wizard of oz" is expected to fetch over happ half a million dollars once bidding begins in california. the winning bidder will own the only gingham dress with white blouse that has been used in the film. now for a look at your national weather, we turn to bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. >> good morning. the scare crow, that would be a nice one to have, too. the tin man. >> i think any of them, just resell them for millions of dollars. >> get the whole collection. >> exactly. that will be worth a lot. >> there's not a lot going on

weath weather-wise that's going to cause you any travel concerns. we have one large storm off the east coast of the united states. it's going to keep us cloudy and cool all the way from the carolinas northward up through new england. then another big storm up here in the northern plains. this is a reinforcing shot of cold air, not what we needed. it is coming down. you can see the spin up here. a little rain and snow mix on the canadian border there with north dakota. that cold front went through minneapolis and pushing through wisconsin. numerous showers right now from green bay. eventually they'll sweep to milwaukee. later today, showers in chicago. how cold is the air behind this front? not horribly cold. temperatures in the 40s, 50s, we're in the 30s in the northern plains. when you factor in the wind chill, yes, it's that time of year to start talking wind chill, imagine at the bus stop this morning with a 24. rapid city is at 28. it's cold. they need the winter coats gloves and hats. as far as showers go, the i-95

corridor, a few from richmond to washington, d.c. townsend, maryland and baltimore area and philadelphia heading up the jersey turnpike, showers in trenton, too. not a lot of rain in that area, just light on and off showers. it's cloudy and cools with highs only in the 50s. looks like the jackets still needed as we go throughout october. we're waiting for that warmup and maybe another week. >> all right. we'll wait for it. thanks so much. coming up, a mass murderer known as the squirrel busted. north korea's threat to mainland usa and why your refrigerator is bigger than ever before. plus, more fallout over big birdgate as the feathers fly over mitt romney's comments. that's all coming up in "scrambled politics." you're watching "first look" on msnbc. bob, these projections... they're... optimistic.

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an unusual morning for north korea which says the missiles are capable of reaching the u.s. mainland. a pair of response to south korea's announcement of a deal

with the u.s. to strengthen its own missile program. he's known as the squirrel. after his arrest, he smiled and gave a thumbs up. but mexican authorities say he is a key lieutenant in the drug cartel behind the killing of american david hartley who was jet skiing on a border lake two years ago. his co-founder may have been killed sunday in what would be a major victory for the president. for the first time, less than half of all americans do not consider themselves protestant. now just 48%. one of the reasons? well, the pugh research study finds many are opting out of religion altogether. nearly one in five say they are either nothing in particular or atheist. and 8% jump since 1990. the mars curiosity rover has been digging up soil samples. now that work is on hold because nasa wants to learn if a bright object spotted on the ground is

just part of the vehicle or something more. >> this is what happens when a large group of mostly intoxicated people take on a bull in colombia. amateur matadors got in the ring and tried to show who the bull was boss. 19 people were hurt. here's the first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. "the washington post" reports that during the recession, most members of congress did different financially than the average american. the regular folks back home saw their household net worth drop 39% for 2007 to 2010. the lawmakers in congress gained 5%. republican vice-presidential nominee paul ryan was being interviewed in detroit when he objected to the reporter's question about gun violence and taxes. and then the interview came to an abrupt end. take a look. >> those are yours, not mine. >> thank you very much, sir. >> that was kind of strange.

stuff words in people's mouth? >> he said he responded as anyone would in such a strange situation. also in michigan, paul ryan and kid rock got a loud welcome from thousands at oakland university. kid rock urged everyone to vote and ryan said the gop ticket would win in michigan. clueless actress stacy dash sent a tweet of herself with an american flag endorsing mitt romney as the only choice for the future. well that prompted a twitter explosion criticizing a black woman's support for mitt romney. >> and mr. romney may be worried about questions from children about his plans to cut funding for big bird and sesame street. the republican candidate has decided to skip nickelodeon's the kids pick the president special. the producer says that decision dissed children. president obama will be talking directly to the kids for the special. and that's your morning dish of "scrambled politics." so now, here's your first look

at how wall street is going to kick off the day. the dow dropped 26 points yesterday. the s&p 500 was down 5. the nasdaq lost 23. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei stumbled 93 points n hong kong, the hang seng gained 112. stocks have been on a strong run. right now earnings and global growth fears have investors on edge. in tokyo this morning, officials from the international monetary fund said the global economy could be skidding towards recession just three years after pulling out of the previous one. that coupled with alcoa's third carter earnings kickoff could be a big market driver today. yesterday intel, home debow and walt disney ended the day lower. apple dragged the dow and the s&p 500 despite denials of a strike at one of the manufacturing plants. house officials are warning u.s. companies to avoid dealing with china's two largest

telecommunication makers. american express and walmart are rolling out a new prepaid card. gm plans to hire up to 10,000 computer pros. it takes software and tech design in house. piling more into your fridge these days? well, that's because americans's waist lines are growing along with our refrigerators. there is new data that shows refrigerators expanded more than three cubic feet in the last 30 years. >> meanwhile if, yaur trying to lose a few, the american beverage association is rolling out new soda machines with calorie counts on the buttons. finally, it may be 5:00 somewhere. on john wayne's watch, it's always cocktail time. my kind of watch. the $32,000 time spees among $3 million worth of goods up for grabs at one connecticut jewel area long with jewels from liz taylor and cher. pretty gorgeous there. coming up, the texans stay

perfect. things get even in the major leagues and tiger says i'm sorry. plus, five miles of pride. check out that unusual flag display. that's all coming up. sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ [ male announcer ] how do you turn an entrepreneur's dream... ♪ into a scooter that talks to the cloud? ♪ or turn 30-million artifacts... ♪ into a high-tech masterpiece? ♪ whatever your business challenge, dell has the technology and services to help you solve it.

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down 22-7 in the third. joe mcknight ran back a 100 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. new york had a chance to take the lee late in the fourth quarter. mark sanchez couldn't pull it off. it was picked off by jackson with two minutes left to play. this is sad news coming from the nfl, alex karras, well known for that roll as the lovable father in the '80s sitcom webster, news is out that he is suffering from kidney failure and has only been given a few days to live. the 77-year-old has been suffering from dementia in recent years and is part of that mass concussion lawsuit involving more than 3,000 players that is filed against the nfl. to baseball, cardinals bashed the nationals knotting their series at one. carlos beltran hit that last two of his teams four homers. the orioles even it up with the yankees after a bases loaded two-run single by chris davis in

the third put them up 2-1. baltimore tacked on a final run in the sixth with a mark republic reynolds single. they won 3-2. in golf, tiger woods reportedly apologized to several of his ryder cup rookie teammates for a prosecute pooor performance. the american team had a meltdown against the europeans. 20,000 supporters of the argentine soccer club river plate carried an almost 5 mile long flag through the streets of venezuela from the stadium and right into the guinness book of world records. finally, there is this bizarre story of a cockroach eating competition that had terrible consequences. we tell you all about it. it's up on the facebook page if you want to check that out. all right. now let's get a check of your

weather with bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. a chilly morning. >> yeah, it is. it is october. >> one other interesting sports note, "the new york post" is reporting that during the game last night the yankee-baltimore game, two maryland state troopers asked derek jeter for his autograph. causing a little controversy out there this morning. probably get in a little trouble for. that good morning. it's kind of cloudy. it's damp. it's definitely cool out there. there are some showers working their way up i-95. very light. most areas will remain dry. just kind of a damp feel to it. any wind chill out there this morning will make it feel worse. highs to day only with the clouds in the 50s and 60s. it looks like we could go through one, one and a half more da days of this and then we'll try get some sunshine. philadelphia is a good example of. that cloudy and cool. wednesday is better in philadelphia. look, by the time we get to thursday, friday, and saturday, beautiful fall weather with a

lot of sunshine and temperatures that are comfortable in the afternoon. the other areas of concern today, just showers working their way through the great lakes, chicago, milwaukee, green bay and eventually into michigan. there's not a lot going on. no big storms at least on the horizon. so that's good. >> all right. that is good news. bill, thanks so much. coming up, katie perry's patriotic nanny and lady gaga does not miss a beat. plus, shooking news from david blaine after his latest endurance stunt. headlines coming up in entertainment. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts, more events, more experiences. [ jack ] hey, who's boring now? [ male announcer ] get more access with the citi card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ] a short word that's a tall order.

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here's what people are talking about. apparently after last week's debate polls show obama trailing

mitt romney by one point. yeah. one point or as is also known the thing obama failed to make during last week's debate. speaking of the election, you guys, the vice-presidential debate is just three days away. both sides are busy getting ready. and republican candidate paul ryan says he expects joe biden to come at him like a cannonball. biden was like, there's going to be a pool there? i'm more of a belly flop guy. >> tonight jimmy welcomes christopher watkin and pete townsend. that is "late night with jimmy fallon." all right. time now for entertainment news. one of hollywood's most enduring couples are calling it quits. danny devito and reea pearlman separated after 30 years of marriage. the two met in 1978. they have three children together, all in their 20s.

there's no word yet on what caused the split. i was surprised by that. okay, katy perry went all out for her performance at president obama's l.a. fund-raiser sunday night. complete with a special manicure. there were photos of the president and the democrat donk donkey. first justin bieber and now lady gaga. the singer got sick not once but four times on stage. she kept singing and dancing. reports say gaga has been battling the flu. and last night what was he thinking? david blaine ended what he now says is his final endurance stunt. the illusionist went 72 hours, no food standing there wearing a chain jail suit surrounded by low current million volt coils. a visibly weak david blaine was wheeled into an ambulance to be examined. he can't believe it himself but

he finished it. >> and smiling, too. >> i'm skeptical. i'm thinking at 3:00 a.m. no one is watching. maybe i'll take a little break. grab a slice of pizza. i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. >> four weeks until election day. new polls show mitt romney clawing his way back into the race after that first debate. the question is, what will shift the trend lines over the next 28 days to decide this airtight election? a congressional investigation now into what happened to the united states consulate in libya leading to the death of ambassador chris stevens and three other americans? the question is, why was a request from stevens for additional security declined? we'll look into that. the jets hang tough with the very best team in the afc. mark sanchez getting one last drive to win it. the question